Swim Lessons!

One of the best things about our new house is its proximity to the brand new YMCA. It takes me 4 minutes to get from my front door to the Y parking lot - very nice! The Y offers mommy and me swim lessons for babies, so I signed up! Luke LOVED it. He loved being in the water and did so well, even when the teacher put his mouth in the water. He kicked his legs and patted the water. He also LOVED looking at all of the other kids in his class. He was SO tired at the end of his lesson - he is currently taking a very powerful nap! Here are a few pictures of him before his lesson.

Seven Months Old!

Goodness gracious, where did the last month go? This has been such a big month, full of changes and new experiences! Luke continues to develop his little personality and it is just so much fun to watch! He is very, very busy - he grabs everything and wants to put everything he touches directly into his mouth. Needless to say, we are now quite conscious of what is on the floor around the house! He loves EVERYTHING electronic - cell phones, remote controls, computers, computer mouse - everything. I tried getting him his own little baby cell phone, but he is not interested in that - he knows the score - he wants the real deal. Unfortunately for him, those items are off limits, so we will have to keep him distracted with one of his approximately 300 other toys :-) 

In other news, we have moved! Moving with a baby adds a whole new level of challenge to the moving mix. He was SO good for the entire move and has transitioned like a champ. He loves his new room and is enjoying having more space to play and explore. We got everything unpacked and put away within 72 hours, so that has made our life easier now that we are living out of chaos. The last month was tough as we got packed up at our old place, so we were ready for order to resume! Luke's new room is upstairs, so that has been a little different, as we were used to having him 5 feet from our room, but I think he is sleeping better now that he doesn't hear every little thing that goes on in the house.

He has his own bathroom and we have put his little tub in the big tub, so now he can splash as much as he wants to! He loves playing with his bath toys and patting/splashing the water. We sing his Rubber Ducky song to him every night before his bath and he starts smiling and laughing as soon as we start to sing (although I think most people would laugh at two grown people singing "Rubber Ducky" to a little nakey baby :-) 

With regards to sleep, he is napping very very well - 2 or 3 naps per day, all for at least an hour. That has made mommy's life much more productive! He is still waking up a time or two at night - it's tough, but he is really hungry when he wakes up, so I don't mind one bit. He eats and then goes right back to sleep. He goes to sleep around 6:30, wakes up around 1 or 2 and then goes back to sleep until 6 or so.

He LOVES to roll, roll, roll! Diaper changes have become VERY difficult because as soon as I put him on his changing table, he tries to roll over to see what is behind him and what he could possibly grab. I have tried to distract him by putting a mobile over the changing table and by keeping toys all around, but most of those efforts are exercises in futility - the boy wants to move!

He is very close to crawling - he is pushing himself up very high with his arms and then does this little swimming motion with his legs. He scoots all over the place and can roll all over the room. There is no more leaving him by himself - it is amazing how much ground he can cover! The pack and play has become our little playpen and the exersaucer is still keeping him somewhat occupied. I put him in his high chair when I cook dinner and he seems to enjoy watching me cook. 

Speaking of food, he is enjoying eating his solid foods! So far, we have tried avocado, carrots, pears, bananas, squash, and sweet potatoes. He wasn't too sure about all of this eating at first, but now seems to have the hang of it. He really likes to handle the spoon himself and probably gets more of it on his face and on his tray than in his mouth at this point, but he is getting better every time we try.

He is working really hard on getting his crawl going - you can just see the look of determination on his face! As for his little "stats" - he weighs a bit over 19 pounds, is still wearing a size 3 diaper, and is wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes. He is in dire need of another hair cut, but I am going to try to wait a little bit longer on that.

He loves playing with all of his toys. He loves his stackable cups, his ring tower, his soft blocks, and his Sophie giraffe the best, but still has love in his heart for yellow dog and blue elephant (we are really creative with the toy names around here :-) As of late, he is loving the Very Hungry Caterpillar teething toy, although any teething toy seems to be a winner with him.

He also LOVES to "read" - my mom got him a book called In My Den and he goes NUTS over it! It has a little finger puppet bear that weaves through the whole story and he just adores it. He loves to grab the bear and turn the pages. He also likes the Boynton books, Pat the Bunny, and his Peekaboo Color book.

Speaking of teething, no teeth as of yet! He seems to be really working on getting some, but who knows...I love his little gummy smile, so I'm in no hurry for those little chompers to arrive. He is still nursing 5-7 times a day and shows no sign of stopping. We are trying to get him to go straight to a cup, so we have tried (with limited success) to introduce a sippy cup. He doesn't seem interested in drinking from the cup - chewing on the cup handles, chewing on the side of the cup - yes. Drinking out of the cup, no. We will just have to keep at it!

Another milestone that we have finally reached is that Luke is now able to sit up in the grocery cart! It is so exciting to be able to fit more than a few items in the buggy. He loves sitting up in the seat and likes to eat my list and any coupons I might have, so those have to be hidden from view! The ladies at the grocery always make a big fuss over him and he totally knows it - he smiles for everyone and would give everybody a big sugar if I let him!

Mother's Day was, of course, very very special. We had a nice brunch at our house and then spent the afternoon relaxing. Kasey watched Luke while I napped - that was the best present of all! My mom was out of town on the actual day (she was winging her way back from across the pond), but she magically had a card appear and then I got to see her on Monday when they got back.

Luke was so good all day - he entertained everyone by making spitting noises and babbling from his party chair (his exersaucer). It was like he was a little DJ - very, very cute. He got a good nap between church and when everyone arrived, so he was in a very sweet mood and has everyone completely wrapped around his chubby little fingers.

Every day just gets better and better with this precious boy. He amazes me with how much he is learning every day and by how much fun he is! We are just so grateful and feel so very, very blessed! 

Shots are Not Fun

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for Luke's 6 month checkup. He weighed in at 17 pounds, 13 ounces and was 26 3/4 inches long. He was in the 65th percentile for height and weight, but that big ole noggin still puts him in the 90th percentile for head circumference. Dr. Brian was really happy with his motor skills and other developmental milestones! We have been working really hard on tummy time and sitting, so we will keep it up! Luke was so well behaved at his appointment and had all of the nurses smiling....

And then came last night - my usually easy baby was so upset and felt horrible. He spiked a small fever, so I gave him some Tylenol. He just cried and cried in his crib, so I went to rock him for a little while. He fell asleep, but the minute I tried to put him back in his crib, he just cried. I have never seen him so clingy, so we held him all night. At one point last night, his fever had jumped to 102.5, so I called the on call nurse, but she told me that we didn't need to worry unless the fever got to 105 - I can tell you that if his fever ever gets anywhere CLOSE to 105, we will be making our way to Children's! We snuggled up in the recliner in the nursery and he just whimpered and we rocked all night - he finally fell asleep about 4 and we both slept until about 8:30 or so. Poor daddy had to get up and go to his early Thursday meeting...no sleeping in for him! Luke woke up and seemed to feel better and his fever finally broke around noon. He played this afternoon and went to sleep easily tonight - fingers crossed that he stays comfortably asleep!

I am going to try to take a break from packing and go to bed early tonight - of course, I will probably not be able to fall asleep - too much to do around here to really relax! Luckily, my sweet mother in law came over last night and took all of my ironing to her house - I usually love laundry and ironing, but with all of the stuff I'm trying to get done for the move, it was really nice to have that chore taken off my hands!

Sweet dreams to everyone!

A Night Out with Gran

Kasey's mom turned 65 today - I know she will really appreciate me telling everyone how old she is - ha! We got to celebrate with her on Saturday night at Aunt B's condo in Soho. Aunt B made a fabulous meal of Beef Wellington, green beans, salad, and roasted tomatoes - Frank Stitt, eat your heart out! We had such a good time and Luke was a big boy and went to sleep in the pack and play while we ate dinner. I was a little nervous about the transition from pack and play to car seat to crib, but he did just fine!

Here are a few pictures of the evening! We laughed at these because they, to our knowledge, are some of the only pictures that exist where Tina (Gran), Kasey's mom, is smiling. How can you not smile when you get to hold something this cute?

Six Months Old!!!!

How did this happen? How am I six months old?

Wow. I cannot believe that Luke is six months old...this has been the fastest six months of my life and, by FAR, the most amazing. This has been such a big month. Luke continues to amaze us and delight us beyond what we thought possible!

Early in the month, he started rolling from back to front and front to back - unfortunately, that meant that we had to say bye-bye to the Miracle Blanket - the swaddle had been our friend for six months, so it was quite a transition to suddenly not be all swaddled tight at night time. We had 4 or 5 rough nights, but then he got back in a groove and is sleeping well. Although he has slept through the night, it is not his routine :-) He is still waking up once or twice to eat, but he eats quickly and goes right back to sleep. I know these days are going to be gone far too soon - I am going to enjoy them while I have them! 

He is also sitting up pretty well. Most of the time, I put the Boppy behind him, but he can reach out and find a toy and then get back up most of the time. He doesn't freak out if he falls from his seated position, so that's good! He sits well in his high chair and has enjoyed getting to be eye-level with mom and dad during meals. Speaking of meals, he had his first bites of food this week! He tried some pears and wasn't a fan at first. We have been trying a little bit every day and he actually ate about 5 spoonfuls today. I am going to try to make most of his food with the awesome Beaba that I borrowed from my friend. It is really easy to use and I like knowing exactly what he is eating! 

He has become so much more aware of the world around him and it looks like he is really thinking about everything he comes into contact with. He loves playing with his toys and REALLY loves his new Johnny Jump-Up that our neighbor gave him. Whenever he is in it, he just bounces and bounces and bounces - he LOVES it. He gets tickled with himself and just giggles most of the time he is in there - he also likes to drop his toys off of his tray and thinks it's great when we pick them up and put them back. He loves this little blue crinkly elephant and just studies it and plays with it (and then eats it :-)

Naptime has GREATLY improved this month. He is now taking 2 or 3 naps a day - I read a book that my pediatrician recommended and it really worked for us. It seems that everyone has a different way of dealing with sleep, but Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child worked for us! He is able to go to sleep on his own and can fall back asleep on his own. He is so much happier when he is well rested (and so is mama!)

We go to the doctor on Wednesday, so it will be interesting to see how much he's grown since last time. He has completely outgrown most of his six month clothes, so I know he's gotten longer! He now wears a size 3 diaper, and 9-12 month clothes. He still refuses a bottle, so we will probably go straight to a cup in a few weeks or so.

We are getting ready to move, so he has been such a trooper while we pack and get things ready to go. I am a little nervous about the move, but he seems to be an adaptable little fella, so I think he'll do just fine. His new room is upstairs, so I am very grateful for our video monitor! We are very excited to have more space for him to play and explore.

We are just so amazed that he is our little boy - we are so proud and grateful to be his parents!

Easter and The Good Night

First and foremost, the first Easter with Luke was so special. Having Luke and loving him so much has made me grow even deeper in my love for the Lord - how could he love me enough to give his son for my sins? Wow. It truly is amazing love that the Father has for us!

We got up and went to the 8 o'clock service - I was pretty proud of that :-)  We came home, ate a little breakfast, and Luke opened his Easter basket - it was so cute! He really liked grabbing all of the little toys out of the basket and, of course, immediately putting them in his mouth.

Luke and his Easter basket - note that Julio is keeping a close watch on all activities!

My little Easter man!

After Luke took a little nap, we loaded up and headed to my aunt's for lunch.  It was my aunt's birthday, so we had two reasons to celebrate! Luke got to play with his cousin, Addi, but she wasn't too interested in him yet. She was way too busy playing the piano, watching "Beat Beats" and being her sweet funny little self! Both little ones were in green seersucker (we didn't plan it!),  so it was quite cute to see Luke and Addi in their Easter outfits!

In other news, last night LUKE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He went to sleep around 6:30 and didn't wake up until 5:45!!!! It was the first time since about my third month of pregnancy that I slept for an uninterrupted eight hours. It may never happen again, but that's okay...at least it happened once and I know it is possible! A little sleep makes a huge difference! 

I will post Luke's six month post this weekend...I cannot believe it!

FIVE MONTHS OLD!!!!!

My goodness...I cannot believe that our little Luke is 5 months old! Every day with him is just complete joy and we are having so much fun being parents. Luke now weighs almost 18 pounds, wears size 6/9 month clothes, and a size 3 diaper - big boy. He is coming very close to rolling from back to front, but can't figure out what to do with the arm that ends up underneath his body - he will figure it out soon enough! He has also started to try to sit up from a reclining position - especially in his bathtub! He thinks his feet are really interesting and likes to pull on his socks. I must give major thanks to the folks who make Trumpette and Gymboree socks - they are the ONLY socks I've found that actually stay on his feet!

He loves to play in his exersaucer and thinks it's great when he presses the buttons and different sounds and music play. He "talks" all the time and it cracks us up as he learns what sounds he can make. He sometimes seems surprised that the sounds are coming from his mouth! For a while, he was waking up at about 3 am and talking for a while before going back to sleep - it was fun to listen to, even at that early hour!  He still likes to eat about 5-7 times a day and still refuses a bottle. I had hopes that some of the new bottles might work, but alas, he is not a fan of anything artificial :-) I certainly don't mind one bit.

Sleeping continues to be a bit of a challenge, but we are making progress! I read a book my pediatrician recommended and am trying to put it to use. I am trying to get him on a morning nap schedule first and then go from there. We are very lucky that he sleeps well at night - he might wake up once or twice, but he always goes back to sleep quickly. I must admit that I am jealous of my friends who have babies who sleep for 2 hour naps! However, when Luke is awake, he is a happy little man - he is content to play in his exersaucer or on his play mat, so I can get some things done around the house. He loves to sit in his bouncy seat and watch me cook dinner. If the opportunity arises, I will be ready for an audition at the Food Network, because I narrate everything that goes on as I cook. Luke seems to get a kick out of it!

Luke has been to the church nursery twice - he seems to do very well in the nursery and the ladies just love him. I still obsessively check the parent pager that they give us, but I am beginning to relax a little bit!

We found out this month that we will be moving - ugh. Although our landlord told us that he intended to rent to us for several more years if we would like, he has suddenly decided to put the house on the market and not renew our lease (which is up at the end of April - yikes!). SO, we have jumped into house hunting full force...it is not fun. We want to make sure that our next house isn't a maintenance nightmare and that it has a nice place for Luke to play...that, apparently, is an impossible combination. We have a great agent and I hope that something will come up soon. Luckily, our landlord is going to let us rent month-to-month until the house sells. This will be our eighth move in 11 years, so we are hoping that this one will be the last for quite some time!

One thing that Luke absolutely loves is going for a walk outside. We (along with the rest of the country) are enjoying some crazy summer-like weather. For this girl who LOVES the cold, it has been hard not to have any kind of winter, but it has been very nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine. For an early Mothers Day present, Kasey bought me a jogging stroller...the Bob Revolution SE - it is awesome. It is so much easier to walk fast with this than it is with the Orbit stroller - also, it is nice that he can get out of his car seat and stroll...our other stroller is really nice, but you have to use the car seat with it, so that can be limiting (and hot!).

Our days just fly by - we have a pretty good little schedule of events going - we are still going to our breastfeeding group and to Story Time at the library. We also go to the Magic City Slingers meeting, where we checked out the Scootababy carrier for the month (note how much fun the model and her child are having!). It is a great carrier because it allows Luke to sit on my hip - he can see out and I have my hands and sightline free - it is SO easy to use, comfortable and it does a great job of taking the weight of carrying him off of my back. I will definitely be checking this one out again!

We continue to marvel at how much fun it is to have Luke. We don't really remember life without him and don't want to! Kasey was in an endurance race last weekend in Tuscaloosa and said that he just thought about Luke the whole time - he said that Luke has just changed his heart - so true, so true. So many of the things that were such a top priority just aren't even on the radar anymore! We have such joy with him in our lives and are grateful for every minute we have with him!